Otto flour



(No Model.) 4

O. FLOHR. GAR COUPLING.

I Patented Jan. 27,1891.

INVENTORI WITNESSES- By his At/omeys, mfig'm lUNlTEl) STATES PATENT FFICE.

OT"O FLOUR, OI? lUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES A. PObLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

.kEESIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,244, dated January 27, 1891.

Application filed August 7, 1890. Serial No. 361,336. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it mug/,1 concern.-

Be it known that I, OTTO FLoHn, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car-couplers of that class having a horizontally -swinging coupling-jaw pivoted to the coupling-head and adapted to hook behind a like jaw on the opposite head.

The object of the invention is to improve the construction,facilitate the operatiomand cheapen the manufacture of couplers of this class.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a plan view of two coupling-heads constructed according to my in vcntion coupled together. The one at the left is shown adapted to a tender and the one at the right to a car. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the couplers, showing them uncoupled. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the tender-coupler in the plane of the line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the car-coupler.

Let A indicate the coupling-head, B the coupling-jaw, and C the locking-pawl for fast ening the jaw in place while coupled.

In couplers of this class it is customary to make the coupling-head as a hollow shell of cast-iron with horizontal top and bottom walls or webs a and Z) and vertical curved walls or webs extending between them to form a hollow space or chamber for the reception of the 1ocking-jaw and pawl. The coupling-head is formed with two projecting jaws or horns and an intervening opening or depression, the right-hand horn 0 being the one to which the coupling-jaw B is pivoted and the left-hand horn (Z being the guiding-horn, which serves to guide the coupling-jaw of the opposite head into place during the act of coupling. The coupling-jaw B is, in general, in the form of an elbow-lever, its outer arm forming the hook which engages the other coupler and its inner arm 6 constituting a means for locking the jaw in place by being engaged when the heads are coupled together with the locking-pawl C, as shown at the left in Fig. 2. This arm e rides over a rib f projecting from the web I) and inclined on its upper side, so that the jaw B, which is allowed some vertical motion, is automatically thrown outward to the position shown in the right in Fig. 9 by its arm e sliding down this incline. To thus release the locking-j aw the pawl C is drawn back by pulling on a chain 9, Fig. 1, provided for that purpose, and which passes out through a hole or slot in the top wall a of the'head. The pawl C is given a normal tendency to engage the arm c by being pressed toward the position shown in Fig. 2, either by a spring or by gravity, preferably the latter, an inclined rib 7L beingprovided within the coupling-head for this purpose.

In so far as thus described the coupling does not differ from that disclosed in my application for patent filed April 7, 1890, Serial No. 346,992.

Coupling-heads of this class have heretofore been constructed with the guiding-horn (I made hollow by having curved front and rear walls or webs extending vertically between the top and bottom walls. The hollow space thus formed has to be cored out, which involves much difficulty in practice by reason of the contracted space at the base of the horn (Z, the core at this portion being so narrow and the projection of the core into the horn (1 being so considerable that the core is liable to become misplaced, whereby the castings are frequently imperfect and the coupling-heads deficient in strength. To remedy this difticulty,1 have devised an improved construction of the horn d. I form this horn with the usual front or face wall 1', extending from its end inwardly to near the pivotal end of the pawl O,the11ce around the pivotal end of this pawl in an arc concentric with the pivotal axis thereof and embracing its pivotal end to constitute a re-enforce bearing there for, as shown at j, (to the same etfect as the re-enforce bearing F in my said previous ap plication,) and instead of terminating this wall at this point, as heretofore, I extend it backwardly to the supporting-base of the IOO designated in Fig. 2 by the letter Z. The usual outer or back wall of the horn d is omitted, leaving the outer or rear side of the horn hollow. The top and bottom plates ab of the head are extended over the top and bottom of the horn d, constituting strengtheningwebs therefor in horizontal planes behind the face-wall and being suitably thickened to give the requisite strength, as shown at a 1). Additional webs or flanges might be applied between these, if desired. By this'construction the guiding-horn is rendered stronger, since the face-wall communicates directly through the portion Z with the base or support, instead of indirectly through an outer or rear wall,as heretofore. The casting of the head is also greatly simplified, and'the liability of the guiding-horn being made weak through defective casting is reduced to the minimum.

The coupling-jaw B, which has heretofore been made solid I now construct partially hollow in order to lighten the inner arm e thereof. This arm I now form with a solid front wall or web m, strengthened by horizontal webs or flanges n n, arranged preferably at top and bottom. The wall m constitutes the working-face of this arm where it encounters the opposite jaw in coupling and the end of it engages the locking-pawl C. By my improved construction I lighten the arm e relatively to the outer arm of the jaw. this arm being the one that engages the incline f. By thus relatively lightening it the action of the jaw relatively to the incline under, the

influence of gravity is improved without im-' pairing the efficiency of the jaw in the performance of any of its other functions.

The coupling-head for the tender is provided with improved means for attaching it (to which no claim is made herein, these being claimed in my application filed October 13, 1890, Serial No. 367,939.) These consist of hooks p 1), extending from the base-plate 7c beneath and to the back ofthe bolster. These hooked extensions are provided with holes through which to pass the lower bolts q, while the upper bolts q engage the upper portion of the bolster above the hooks.

I claim as my invention the following-defined novel features, substantially as hereinbefore specified, namely 1. A coupler-head of the described class, having its guiding-horn constructed with a curved vertical face-wall on its front side extending backwardly, formed with a curve concentric with the pivot of the locking-pawl to constitute a re-enforce bearing therefor, and extended thence back to the supporting-base of the head, and strengthening-Webs behind said wall in horizontal planes joining the top and bottom walls of the head.

2. In a coupler of the described class, the coupling-head formed with a hollow horn c, and an incline f therein, combined with a coupling-jaw pivoted in the end of said horn, capable of vertical displacement by the engagement of said incline with its inner or locking arm e, and this arm formed of a front wall 'm and top and bottom webs n 71, whereby it is made hollow or open on its rear side and is consequently lightened.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO FLOHR.

Witnesses:

FRANK WILLSON, 0. L. HERSHISER. 

